TV-a-go-go: 'True Blood,' 'S.H.I.E.L.D.,' 'Luther'

Published Monday June 10, 2013 at 6:00 pm

Updated Monday June 10, 2013 at 9:02 pm

Ah, summer. The time of year when you're inclined to turn off the television and go outside. After all, the Out to Lunch Concert series is coming back on June 20, and later that night the Movies on the Common series returns, kicking off with the classic “Ferris Bueller's Day Off.” There are plenty of things to do, with no backlog in your DVR to compel you to stay home and watch TV. (Note: One should never feel guilty about not watching TV. Even “Game of Thrones.”)

But, while the TV schedule might not be as crowded right now as it is in cooler months, that doesn't mean there's nothing on. There are, of course, several gamechow shows on right now, such as “MasterChef” and “The Next Food Network Star.” But if you're looking for something more in line with a drama, the cable channels have several offerings, including one of the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, “True Blood,” which begins again on Sunday, picking up the “Game of Thrones'” timeslot:

There are other shows, of course, but really. The trashy vampire show, no matter how nonsensical its plot seems to get, is still horribly addictive popcorn viewing.

Of course, it's evidently never too soon for networks to start gearing things up for the fall arrivals, and no show is getting as much buildup as Joss Whedon's “Avengers” TV spinoff, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”:

Very little has been revealed about the series, save that Clark Gregg reprises his role as Phil Coulson, who died in “Avengers.” How is it that he's back? I guess we have to watch the show to find out. Otherwise, it looks like it'll pretty much be fairly action heavy, and that's never a hard sell on network TV.

Also eagerly awaited is the third season of BBC's “Luther,” starring Idris Elba, coming to BBC America in September:

“Luther” — which is prone, like many BBC shows, to have short seasons — has consistently been one of the most engrossing police procedurals on television, and really holds up against any other show on television, American or British. So that's something to look forward to.